A stalled 500-space park-and-ride in western Broward County is leaving commuters stuck in gridlock.

The Florida Department of Transportation says eliminating that lot could undermine the entire $200 million Interstate 75 corridor project that aims to get more drivers off the roads.

The lot, at Griffin Road and I-75, was planned to be the second of three park-and-rides along the I-75 corridor intended to take commuters south to Miami-Dade County. Riders would park at the lot and take express buses equipped with Wi-Fi. The first lot is in Sunrise, to be completed within the next two months, and the third lot is planned for Pines Boulevard and I-75.

But Davie and Southwest Ranches say they vehemently oppose a large, concrete slab filled with parked cars on the edge of their towns.

They say the commuter lot would increase traffic and be an eyesore in the community. Both towns say the lot would be better suited in highly congested areas such as Pembroke Pines or Miramar. About 125,000 Broward residents commute to Miami-Dade everyday, according to the U.S. Census.

"It's a bad location … A big parking lot right in the middle of a very rural community," said Southwest Ranches Mayor Jeff Nelson. "We're all about open space, not a lot of concrete. It's totally contrary to our philosophy."

Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis said he hasn't had talks with Southwest Ranches, Davie or FDOT about moving the second lot to Pembroke Pines.

"I'm in favor of anything that gets people out of their cars," he said.

The Florida Department of Transportation, which owns the piece of land in question, hopes to sway Davie and Southwest Ranches to agree to the park-and-ride. The department said it will incorporate landscape and architectural features to beautify the transportation hub.

"We'd like to implement both; there's a need for both," said Jeremy Mullings, Department of Transportation intergovernmental coordinator, of the Griffin Road and Pines Boulevard lots.

The Griffin Road park-and-ride, which would cost the department $8 million, would serve commuters three miles east and west of I-75 who drive along Griffin Road to access the highway.

Riders who want to go east to Fort Lauderdale would also be able to park at the Griffin Road lot and take the 595 express bus. This would eliminate a temporary park-and-ride with only 80 spots currently located in a Weston shopping center.

"I would take it," Weston resident Victor Vidal said of the express buses. "We definitely need to be more proactive about public transportation — making park-and-rides and trains more accessible in Florida."

Jeff Weidner, the FDOT's strategic development manager, said the lot would serve Davie, Southwest Ranches, Cooper City and Weston residents.

"[It's] intended to intercept people near where they live," said Weidner. "People don't drive out of their way, it needs to be in the direction that they're going to work."

But without the approval from the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, which includes council members from Davie and Southwest Ranches, the lot can't move forward.

Vice Mayor Bryan Caletka, Davie's representative on the planning board, said the lot should be moved from its current location to Pembroke Pines or Miramar "so that we and our neighbors aren't burdened by that."

But the department said it's not a matter of one commuter lot or the other since there are already plans for a separate, $23 million park-and-ride in Pines. The department said it doesn't have the money to start the Pines Boulevard park-and-ride yet.

"The roadway is very congested," said Weidner, which makes the project more expensive. "We would have to build a flyover ramp in order to get the park-and-ride lot to work in that area."

The transportation officials plan to meet with Southwest Ranches and Davie in the next few months to help residents understand how the park-and-ride would serve them and the towns.

Davie resident Debbie Catlette said she sees how backed up I-75 south is in the morning when she drives north to her job at the Cleveland Clinic.

"It'd be a great idea … A lot of people would use it," said Catlette of the park-and-ride lot. "But I'm not sure how I feel about it taking up more green space."

The department said it doesn't have a backup plan for the land if the towns aren't persuaded.

Southwest Ranches Mayor Nelson has a suggestion: "Leave it open space and leave it just the way it is."